232 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



Not expecting the immediate return of the 

 captain, I was employed in dredging for 

 shells about a mile from the ship, accompa- 

 nied by one of the officers, when to our sur- 

 prise we observed the frigate under way, the 

 signal for sailing having been made at such a 

 distance that it was not visible to us. In the 

 evening we were however again all on board, 

 proceeding for the Havannah, and a few days'* 

 fine wind brought us under the guns of the 

 celebrated Morro Castle, and we cast anchor 

 in the beautiful harbour opposite the capital 

 of Cuba, at which I landed in the evening 

 with Dr. Mackie, and remained on shore for 

 ten days. The Havannah is so well known, 

 that a description of it must be unnecessary. 

 I shall only say that the place itself, and the 

 manners of its inhabitants, present a very 

 different appearance from those of any part 

 of Mexico, although peopled from the same 

 country. Its churches and public buildings 



